USDA Revokes Local Roadside Zoo’s License

The U.S. Department of Agriculture revokes the license of Thomas Edmonds, operator of the notorious roadside zoo Walnut Prairie Wildside in Illinois, permanently banning him from exhibiting animals regulated by the Animal Welfare Act (AWA)—and levies a fine of over $25,000 against him. Edmonds racked up more than 65 alleged violations of the AWA over four years, many of which were issued after PETA repeatedly alerted the agency to ongoing and serious concerns at his facility.